Maurice Ravel © Philharmonie de Paris
1 Sep 2025—17h
Etienne Rousseau-Plotto – Maurice Ravel, the Basque
Festival
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Artists
Program
Lecture by Etienne Rousseau-Plotto, historian, musicologist, theologian, and organist.
Maurice Ravel, the Basque
Ravel was born on March 7, 1875, in Ciboure, on the ground floor of a beautiful house on the quay that now bears his name, into the family of his mother Marie Delouart, a Basque woman of modest origins who had married the engineer Joseph Ravel.
The future composer was raised in Paris, but returned to his native country from the 1900s until 1914, then again after 1921 until the end of his life.
He came here on vacation to recharge his batteries in the beautiful ocean landscapes to which he was very attached. He showed a particular interest in the original culture and language (passed on by his mother and aunts) of his “brothers of the same race,” as he put it. His work is clearly marked by Basque melodies and rhythms, most often modestly concealed in his writing, which is immensely rich in harmony and orchestration.
The pianist and composer Michel Sendrez, who recently passed away, analyzed these aspects of Ravel’s world in a very insightful way.
This lecture, with its slightly provocative title, illustrated with numerous documents and musical excerpts, will therefore provide an understanding of the other (more intimate) side of the greatest French composer of the last century.
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Free admission – Reservations: (+33)5 59 47 13 00.
Location to be confirmed